Court docket in Fiji approves U.S. warrant to grab Russian-owned mega-yacht

Fiji's Excessive Court docket on Tuesday ruled that a large Russian-owned yacht can be seized by U.S. authorities.

American and Fijian officials claim the Cayman Islands-flagged Amadea is the property of Suleiman Kerimov, an oligarch who constructed his fortune on gold mining. Kerimov was sanctioned in March by america, United Kingdom and European Union in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

But an legal professional who represents Millemarin Investments, the company the $325 million ship is registered to, said it isn't owned by Kerimov. Instead, he argued in court docket that company paperwork traces the ship's ownership to Eduard Khudainatov, a former govt at Russia's state-owned Rosneft oil company who has not been sanctioned. 

Kerimov and Khudainatov couldn't be reached for remark. The company intends to enchantment Tuesday's resolution.

The Amadea berthed in Fiji on April 13, in line with local studies and the maritime analytics website Marine Traffic. Soon after, a federal decide authorised a warrant for the ship to be seized and on April 19, Fiji's prime prosecutor moved to forestall the ship from leaving.

The Division of Justice could not immediately be reached for comment. 

On April 4, the agency announced that Spanish authorities had assisted it in seizing another Russian yacht, the $90 million Tango, which was owned by Viktor Vekselberg, the proprietor of the Russian conglomerate Renova Group.

Laws handed by the Home of Representatives on April 27 would enable the U.S. to sell the yacht and other properties worth more than $2 million seized from Russian oligarchs with the intention to fund the Ukrainian struggle effort. President Joe Biden helps the invoice, which has yet to pass the Senate.

"We'll seize their yachts, their luxurious properties and different ill-begotten gains," Biden said on April 28 at the White Home.

Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering prison justice, privacy points and data safety for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com